You don't need much to lose everything
by Madfictions
Summary: You don't need much to lose everything - Hinata sacrified herself for the one she loved - Neji. He can't take it, wished he'd be in her place. But he finds a source of support, one he'd never expected. Sad story about NejiHina and NejiHana. (A)
1. This is where I belong

It hurt alot, but when she looked at him with her blank eyes, the pain would fade away.  
She felt warm inside as he drew her closer, being in his arms. 

_I'm home when I'm in your presence, your arms, your heart._

The girl knew it was hard for someone like him to show any kind of affection, but he still tried.  
She knew...she knew he couldn't possibly love her. Fluid sadness made it's way outside. It flowed right from her eyes, dripped from her chin and finally, reached Neji's heart. He looked at her,  
stroked her hair, knew she was in pain. "It's okay...it's okay."

_It's ok._

He looked at the girl in his arms, embracing her, never wanting to let go of her. It wasn't exactly love, but he knew it was something dangerously close to that. He somehow felt connected, maybe it was because they both shared the same fate.

_We're two caged birds._

He still felt like he was her big brother, even if they were just a year apart. He felt he needed to watch over her, protect her from the outside world. Nobody get to hurt Hinata, ever.

_He never did expect she'd hurt herself._

He felt his bandages getting soaked by her pain, her blood. He felt like he she was all over him, like a blanket of sadness and pain. He shared every worry she had with her. He heard her breathing heavily, struggling against her fate. "..Neji-nii-san, all I ever wanted was you to love me. But I know you can't. I understand and have learned to accept it." The raindrops played on her face. "I know what you have been through and will forever blame myself for not being able to heal your wounds. I...I just..." She began to lose her fight against her body.

_Hang on._

"Hi..Hinata-sama! Hang on, please, hang on!" he yelled desperately. The words didn't reach her mind, but they did reach her heart. He lifted her on his back and tried to run as fast as he could. This was a race against death and he was going to make sure he wasn't going to lose.  
He ran even faster when the finish, the nearest hospital, came in sight.

They arrived quickly. Neji panted and shivered as he felt that he and his cousin were both soaked. The doctors noticed them and from then on, everything went fast. They took his Hinata away from him, stopped him from following them to the O.C. and spoke those words.

_"You should wait."_

He didn't take no for an answer, but he wasn't able to convince them either.  
"It's best if you wait outside"  
Neji gave up and panted from the exhaustion. He sat down on the nearest bench and felt that his body was shaking, filled with stress and emotions.

_Hinata..you sacrificed yourself to protect...me.  
**You've broken free.**_


	2. Two blood colored tears

A/N: Thanks for the reviews guys! I hope you enjoy this chapter too, it's longer and will tell you what happened.  
I'll try to update ASAP again!

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Time went by very slow as he waited. He was sure he hadn't be that nervous in his whole life. 

_**If you wouldn't be so...stupid. **_

The past events did still hunt his mind. It all started **_that_** day...

_Hinata ran into his arms. She did it, she finally archived her goal; she would finally be acknowledged. She truly thought that she had to do this to be acknowledged, the fool. _He chuckled. _He knew it all along, she had it in her to become a Chuunin. _

_He wished she'd never become one._

_He himself had been a Chuunin for quite awhile now. _A smile appeared on his face. _He was happy for her at that moment. She hugged him, told him how happy she was, like the enthusiastic girl she was._

_They went out to take a walk that evening. The weather that evening was bad, dark clouds threatened to unleash their load, the wind blowed, making the trees sigh. They were both very quite, they usually were when they were together. There was no need to talk – they understood each other anyway. _

_They never should've let their backs down._

_Out the middle of nowhere ninja's popped up. Before Neji or Hinata could undertake any action they were attacked._

_It all went to fast. _

_Several kunais and shurikens were headed for them. Neji was quite startled and he didn't react quick enough...but unfortunately Hinata did. She shifted in front of Neji, taking the full blow. He had to watch helplessly how the daggers and throwing stars cut into her body._

"_Hinata-sama!" _

_He caught her before she had the chance to fall to the ground. _He gritted his teeth. _Her body shook and bleeded, but she stood up again._

"_Neji..." she panted. "...it's my turn to protect you."_

_They were attacked again, head-on, but Neji didn't let them hurt her again. _

_The only girl he could accept._

_They did manage to survive in the end – the pursuers were defeated, but Hinata was near death. Neither of them knew what the reason behind all of this was, making it even harder to accept._

_They just attacked Hinata-sama...without even having a proper motive._

Neji noticed the blood dripping on his arm, making him deperate. He couldn't do thing when everything happened. He'd get his revenge. He would make sure of that.

He watched the door of the room impatiently. The doctors discussed alot and Neji activated his Byukagan. They weren't even healing or operating her, they were just discussing. Somehow he began to lose hope.

**Hang on Hinata, Hang on.**

**You're worth way too much to lose. They'd never mean enough to make it worth to lose you.**

_Beep...beep...beep_

Her heart still struggled against it's faith. Neji was allowed to come in a while back, and he couldn't be happier to see she was still _alive_.

The doctors left to give them a little privacy. Hinata was still unconsious but that didn't matter to him. He got seated and held her hand, stroked it.

"I'm sorry Hinata-sama, but you're such a fool. You shouldn't have sacrificed yourself for someone like me. I'm not worth it."

He tightened his grip on her hand, used his other hand to trace the seal on his head.

"I'm the one that needed to protect _you_, Hinata-sama. Not only is it my duty...I..I just want to protect you.

_I couldn't even say those words when she was asleep. _He could just curse himself for that.

"Y..You mean much to...I mean...you really really mean so much to me. Please don't die, please, for my sake."

_Don't die, don't die._

"Hinata's eyes opened very slowly.

"Neji-nii-san..."

She held his hand with both of hers.

"I'm...really glad that...that I mean so much to you. You mean very much to me to...but I'm not going to make it.

_Even when I was asleep, your words reached my heart._

_He said it. The thing I waited so patiently for...Who believed that fate had such a thing in store for us...I'm proud of Neji-nii-san.._

_..and I'm proud of myself._

"You can make it, you can! Please, Hinata..."

"I've fought my fate for once. I protected **_you_**...Neji-nii-san. I'm truly thankful for everything you have done for me...I can't.."

_Beeeeeeeeep_

Her grip loosened and her eyes closed again.

"N-No..you cannot.."

Some medical nins came in to check up on her, panicked when seeing Hinata. This time they didn't shoo Neji away.

_This was far more worse to see._

They tried to heal her in every possible way.

_It was no use._

_She didn't react, and again, all what Neji could do was stare helplessly at the scene._

Again he wasn't able to do anything to protect her. It was so mortifying. He wasn't specialized in healing, the best he could do was bandage and stitch wounds.

_I..I'm useless._

One of the nins tended to Neji. He could tell by the look on her face what she was going to say.

"_I'm sorry, sir." _

_**Two blood colored tears rolled from his eyes. Tears filled with their pain and sadness.**_

**To be continued.**


	3. Unexpected company

Thanks for the reviews! Reviews are everything to me. This chapter isn't much, but it is necessary. I hope you still like it!

-Anne

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Neji was at his house, sitting in pitch darkness. He couldn't care about anything anymore. His joy of life had disappeared in mere seconds when _that _happened. He hadn't tended to his wounds, not that he cared. He felt nimb all over.

_I don't care anymore._

Word spreaded and in mere hours almost everyone knew, including the whole Hyuuga Mansion.

Neji absorbed in thoughts, still heard someone knocking on the door.

"Neji-san, are you home?"

He decided to just ignore her voice. Whatever she had to urgently tell him, it wouldn't interest him in any way.

"Neji-san, I KNOW you're in there."

Careless as he was, he had left the door unlocked. A great opportunity for her it was. He heard her sandals on his floor and mentally hit himself. Like he wanted to hear the babbling of...

Hanabi-sama.

The light was turned on by her again, making Neji's eyes, who were used to the dark, hurt. Hanabi ran to Neji as she saw the state he was in.

"N..Neji-san, what's wrong? You look terrible..."

_Oh god, she didn't know yet._

"You should go ask someone else..I can't inform you."

He made her even more worried, but then she did something she had never done before. She hugged him, tried to soothe him.

"It'll be all right, whatever it is." She tried to say calmly. She wasn't to sure about her own words though. What she just said angered him.

_How could she say such a thing?_

"No..it can't be undone anymore. She's gone..gone.." he said somewhat hysterically. She let go of him now, very suprised to hear him talk in such a way.

"Neji-san...who's gone?"

"Your sister, dammit!" He simply ignored his pride and let those tears flow again. "It happened this evening."

_I've never felt like this..._

"Are you serious?"

"Have you ever seen me cry before?"

He saw her trembling, saw her seating herself.

"I...."

_She couldn't come to terms with her sister's death._

Then Neji did something very uncharacterisly for him – he rubbed her back. Tried to soothe _her_ this time.

"It's okay...It's okay."

_It's OK._

I...I just can't believe it." She said with tears in her eyes. "I DON'T want to believe it."

"I'm sorry I had to be the one to tell you."

"I..It's not your fault."

_It IS my fault._

She stood up again.

"I need to use the bathroom, if you would please excuse me."

He nodded. Now he needed to deal with his and Hanabi's sorrow. _Great._

He could still see Hinata's blood spattered face when he closed his eyes.

_I've fought my fate for once. I protected **you**...Neji-nii-san._

He saw a picture frame on his desk. He had never shown it to her or told her about it, but...it had always been there.

_**She** had always been there._

The photo was one of him and Hinata when they were younger. She looked beautiful on it like she always did. He didn't look that happy. He chuckled. Like he ever looked happy. The only one that could melt his frozen face was Hinata.

They never changed that much, did they?

He picked it up, touched the cold glass with the tip of his index finger, traced Hinata's contour.

_I really loved you. I still.._

He was interrupted by the slamming sound of the door.

"Ah, Hanabi-sama."

He noticed the black stripes on her cheek, she had been crying. A lot.

"Hm."

She rubbed her cheeks on more time.

"Would you like to take a walk, Hanabi-sama?"

"That would be...nice. Thanks, I owe you." She smiled.

Hanabi acted very different today.

Of course this was logical..but still...this wasn't the Hanabi he was used to. She actually reminded him of...

Hinata.

Neji picked up the umbrella that was standing next to the front door, left his house with Hanabi. He supposed it would be still raining.

_Every day would be a rainy day without Hinata._


	4. You're the one to blame

_Tick...tick...tick..._

And indeed, it was raining. They shared the umbrella, both heard the rain softly ticking against it.

"Neji-san."

He looked at her face.

"What's wrong, Hanabi-sama?"

"You...you had something to do with my sister's death, didn't you?"

_Is he accusing me?_

"I..."

He didn't know how to reply, actually.

"Could you tell me?"

He was doubtful if he should tell her or not. He sighed...she wouldn't stop asking him anyway if he'd keep it silent.

"We were attacked by surprise while we were taking a walk. I have no idea who their target was but they attacked both of us. I was too slow – couldn't accomplish my duty to protect the heir of the Hyuuga clan."

He stopped walking.

"She...she protected me..." he said with a trembling voice. "And I couldn't do anything at all..."

Neji-san...

He fell to his knees, letting mud splatter trough the air. He still felt so powerless, even he was the Hyuuga genius...She would most probably still be alive if he hadn't dropped his guard.

"Neji...hey, Neji, are you okay?"

_What do you think? _

He felt her warm body pressed against his. Somehow it seemed to soothe him, but since he was who he was he didn't want her to notice.

"I'm sorry to reject your offer to comfort me, Hanabi-sama, but I do not wish to have any physical contact at the moment. I expect you to know why."

He said with a slight sarcastic tone.

Hanabi staid silent and ignored him. She didn't let go of her grip. She shivered as the rain drops fell on her. They were so cold compared to Neji's warmth. She grabbed the umbrella for his sake as she did not want him to catch a cold. It wasn't like he could use even more problems. She held it above them and silent minutes passed.

Neji didn't give up. She was just as stubborn as her sister...was, wasn't she? But he had some tricks to get his way.

"You can let go of me now."

"Hm..."

"I'm serious..." he said with a somewhat threatening voice.

"Hm-hm."

It angered him that she wasn't taking his warning serious, so he used plan B. He stood up, lifting Hanabi of the ground. She wasn't prepared for this and in a matter of seconds she let go of him, almost falling, but in the end she was able to stand on her legs steadily.

"It's not like I want to make your life miserable or something." Hanabi said. "I...I feel at ease when I hug you, and I thought you would be too...I'm sorry."

She looked at the ground, certainly _not_ feeling at ease right now.

"This is...this is hard for me too you know. I lost my sister, the only one I could really talk to if something was the matter...She was someone who, no, the only one who cared for me and loved me. And...and I'm never going to get her back! Now...now I'm all alone! You just think she was all yours-"

He slapped her, right in her face. He wasn't going to be talked down by her, no way. She just...

_She just acted as if he tried to claim Hinata. _

"Don't be so selfish, DON'T act as if your sister was owned by ANYONE at all. You're not the only one who thinks Hinata was special to you. It's not like you're the only one that's allowed to miss her. I've had it with you, I'm going." He said with an angry voice. She got him pissed of this time.

"Neji-san, wait! I...I'm sorry. Please, I want to talk more to you. You're the only one that'll listen to me." She said desperately as she ran after him. She held his arm, forcing him to stop. He looked at her with a irritated look but gave in. He began to walk in a slower pace and she hobbled after him, still having a hard time to keep up with him.

"I'm really sorry for all the trouble I've caused...You know, when you and Hinata were together. I always bugged you, trying to get her attention. I wanted to keep her for myself, I didn't want to share..."

She looked at him to find out if he was still listening, and to her surprise he had even turned his head.

_An apology? That's so not like her._

"And now...now I have to face the consequences. Because I never opened up to you, because I was too busy to claim Hinata, I never got to learn more about you. We've been rivals because of me and now...now it feels selfish to suddenly ask so much of you. Now that she's gone I have nobody to go to but you..."

"It's okay, Hanabi-sama. We will most probably be more together from now on because I suppose I will get the duty of protecting the new heir, you."

She was happy to hear it was okay, but somehow she wasn't completely satisfied. Maybe she hadn't expected him to try get along with her because it was his duty, but because he wanted so himself. Hanabi thanked him anyhow, this could be the chance for them to build up their friendship once more.

"Hanabi-sama, I'm off now. I'm completely drained. I hope you will excuse me."

She nodded.

"I'll see you soon."

The moment Neji arrived at his house, he let himself fall down on his bed. He was able, even with these circumstances, to obtain sleep very quickly.

He had a dream. Not just a dream but...

_More than a dream._

**To Be Continued.**

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**A/N: **Thank you, reviewers! Also, a note to elsiey, the next chapter will be dedictated to you as I will let you know some more background info...The next chapter is almost entirely written already so it will not take up as much time to update . Oh, another note to elsiey ;;...This fanfiction was supposed to be very short, about two chapters or so, but I had some ideas so I'm still continuing it. I suppose it will not be too long as the (probably) most important chapter is the next one X3.

Sorry for the long A/N! (And remember, reviews keep me going ;3!** )  
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	5. Not just a dream

Everything was pitch dark, but the dark didn't feel cold at all. He didn't feel lost in this gigantic space or desperate – no, he felt warm and peaceful.

He let the warmth surround him, embrace him, let it soothe him. There was nothing else, just the darkness, the warmth and himself.

Then she appeared before him, slightly transparent. She smiled in the same way as she always did.

_The only thing that was able to melt his frozen face._

She squatted, still right in front of him. The girl laid her hand on his cheek and silently stroked it.

_Hinata...! _

He tried to say something but the words didn't come. The warmth somehow seemed to restrain him from talking.

While continuing to stroke his cheek she kissed his forehead.

"Neji-nii-san..."

Time seemed to pass slowly in that space, but he didn't care. Everything was so peaceful there that he wouldn't mind to remain there forever.

Neji hugged Hinata, not knowing what else to do. He hugged the only one he would open to and cried his heart out. He knew it had to be something more than a dream.

Hinata resumed her sentence. "It's my fault that you have so much mental pain...but it'll heal someday, I'll make sure of that. Trust me."

Neji looked up as he felt a breeze touching his body. He saw how all of the darkness melt, making place for a beautiful scenery that somehow felt very familiar. It was a spot on top of a mountain, trees standing proudly left and right. There was a view of a wonderful sunset in front of them. Hinata let go of him and looked around, a satisfied smile on her face.

"Do you remember...this is the place where we hung out a lot. The place where a lot of memories were born."

It suddenly came back to him. All the moment they had spend together. He stood up and enjoyed the wonderful feeling of the sun in his face, the breeze that was there every now and then, the nice smell of grass and trees, but most of all, the feeling he wasn't alone, that he had Hinata at his side.

Neji sat down, next to Hinata. They were quiet for some time but after a while she cleared her throat.

"Neji-nii-san...can I ask you something?"

He nodded in agreement.

A faint blush appeared as she was about to ask what she was going to ask.

"Why...why did you like me back then? I know you did...but please, tell me why."

"Do you really want to know?" He smiled at her. She was so shy again all of the sudden. "I...most probably liked you because you were the only one who was capable of seeing how I really was. You were the only one who knew that behind that pessimistic and antisocial mask there was someone else, hiding from the world, not wanting to get hurt once again.

She beamed as she heard his words but did not interrupt him.

"And...you always knew a way to make me smile. And I just enjoyed your presence like I do now, even if it's just a dream.

Wings made from pure white feathers sprouted from her back.

"If something seems unreal it's not always a dream. Sometimes it's more, Neji-nii-san."

_More than a dream..._

Her smile grew bigger than it usually did. Neji looked a few seconds at her in awe but shook his head after. He still had some things to ask her himself.

"Then I ask you the same question, Hinata-sama. Why did you like me? It wasn't like I was always that friendly towards you."

The wind touched her wings which in turn gave way. She did not look him in his eyes, no, her eyes were set on the sunset before them.

"When we used to be little, I appreciated your presence. Then I began to admire you...and that slowly but surely turned into love. I'm sorry, I can't explain it too well."

Hinata hugged her knees and laid her head upon them. She closed her eyes and enjoyed the quiet moments that followed.

"Hinata..." Neji began after some while. "You were and still are my life. How am I supposed to live without my life?"

She moved her body next to his and laid her head on his shoulder, which gave her the option to whisper in his ear. And so she did.

"I'll make sure you're going to be happy again. I'll stay by your side until I'm sure of that. That's a promise."

Her arms hugged him, pushed him closer to her. He was again at loss for words...as long as it was Hinata who said it, he'd believe her.

"Thank you, Hinata-sama..."

"I have to go now, Nii-san, but you'll surely find me again soon."

".....Okay."

And the next thing he knew, he was lying in his bed, still surrounded by the warm feeling. He touched his cheeks and felt that he had cried in his sleep.

_Hinata-sama...you're with me at this very moment, aren't you..._

**To Be Continued.**

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**A/N: I hope you all liked the chapter. Thank you all ) Updates make take some while now ;)...


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